Heart recipient who came to enjoy beer like her donor marks anniversary

Tuesday

May 27, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 27, 2008 at 9:54 PM

Shortly after a receiving a new heart and lungs on May 29, 1988, Claire Sylvia began to experience a new self-confidence, great surges of physical energy and cravings for things she had never liked before, including beer.

Constance Gorfinkle

Claire Sylvia’s nickname might as well be Job – she’s had as many trials as the biblical figure. But she’s not complaining.

"I’m just glad I’ve had an influence on the medical field,'' she said.

The 68-year-old has survived three organ transplants, breast cancer, Parkinson’s disease and a near-fatal case of shingles. The former Hull, Mass., resident was the first person in New England to receive a heart-lung transplant.

But as the 20th anniversary of that operation approaches, Sylvia is talking about her contribution to the study of something a bit more mysterious: organ recipients who have taken on characteristics of the donors.

Shortly after waking up from her heart-lung operation on May 29, 1988, Sylvia said she began to experience strange feelings, a new self-confidence, great surges of physical energy and cravings for things she had never liked before, including beer.

Six months later, she had a dream that she believes answered her questions about the changes she had undergone. The dream was about a tall young man with sandy hair with whom she felt a strong bond, so strong that "I knew we’d be together forever,'' Sylvia recalled.

Sylvia was convinced the man in the dream was her donor. That belief led her to Tim Lamirande’s obituary. He was 18 when he was killed in a motorcycle accident in his home state of Maine. He was her organ donor.

Sylvia, who lived in Hull for 30 years before moving to Florida, became a best-selling author in 1997 with "A Change of Heart: A Memoir.'' The book has been published in 12 languages and was made into a film, "Heart of a Stranger,'' starring Jane Seymour.

With all the publicity Sylvia’s case generated, other organ recipients came forward. Sylvia and nine others participated in a study by University of Arizona scientists Gary Schwartz, Linda Russek, and Paul Pearsall. The trio of scientists concluded that cells of living tissue have the capacity to remember.

"Cellular memory,'' it’s called, Sylvia said.

The study, entitled "Changes in Heart Transplant Recipients That Parallel the Personalities of Their Donors,'' appeared in the Journal of Near-Death Studies.
Earlier this month, Sylvia began celebrating the anniversary of her double transplant with Tim Lamirande’s family.

At the beginning, she said, it was scary. "It was confusing, frightening, exhilarating. I had so many feelings and thoughts that were different from whom I had been before the transplants.''

Now, she said, she feels like she and Tim are one person.

"After a lot of struggle and a lot of psychotherapy, and working on my dreams, and writing in my journal about what was happening, and meditating, and talking to a lot of people like me, who had had transplants,'' she said.

Much of the fear and uncertainty was alleviated after she met Tim’s family and got to know who he was, she said.

"I never thought I’d live long enough to see my daughter graduate from high school. Well, I did that. Then, I saw her graduate from college. And I saw her marry her high school sweetheart,'' she said. "Now I have my grandsons and a lasting relationship with the Lamirandes, the family of my heart.''